Pianoforte-action



(No Model.)

J. HQPHELPS. PIANOFORTE ACTION.

Patented Nov. 22, 1892.

J'amee HPZeZ ac.

z /wmjiwm wzk UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES H. PHELPS, OF SHARON, WISCONSIN.

PIANOFORTE-ACTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 486,500, dated November22, 1892.

Application filed April 6, 1892- Serial No. 427.985. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES H. PHELPS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Sharon, in the county of Walworth and State of Wisconsin,have invented a new and useful Improvementin Pianoforte-Actions, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements upon the construction ofpianoforte-actions set forth in Letters Patent granted to me, No.465,494,December 22, 1891.

The leading feature of my present improvement relates to theconstruction of the device by which the levers J of my formerconstruction are supported.

In the drawing I show a vertical cross-section of my improved action.

In said drawing, A may represent one of the strings of the piano; B, thedamper; b, the damper-bar; B, the spring acting upon the damper-bar; C,the loud-pedal bar, and cthe arm of wire operating the damper when thekey is struck.

D is the pivoted lever supporting the jack N.

E is the sticker, F the key, andfthe rocking adjusting-lever by whichthe action of the sticker is regulated.

G is the stationary supporting-bar having in some constructions aconnection 9 for holding the sticker. The stickers are provided withhorizontally-extending arms H, corresponding to those of my previousconstruction and formed with recesses h, for the purposes set forth inmy said patent. Adjacent to each sticker is a lever J, pivotallysupported on a blockj, supported from the bar G, such lever extendingover the arms H and passing between its own sticker and the sticker ofthe next adjacent key.

is a spring inserted between each lever J and the supporting-bar, andsaid levers J have offsets m and bevel portions n. The dampen bars havethe same extensions 0 shown in my said patent, and a similar rod P issuspended at its ends and at intermediate points upon cranks p,pivotally held upon the action-frame by taller blocks j, said rod actingto hold the series of levers J against action. M is the buffer forengaging the toe of the jack and limiting its movement, and L is theblock in which the hammer is Secured.

So far as I have set forth the construction above it is substantiallyidentical with the construction shown in my said patent.

The supporting-bar G is shown in the patent as supporting the blocksjdirectly; but I prefer to make the bar in separate parts, or, in otherwords, to support the lovers J and their blocksj upon a bar separatefrom the bar G and resting thereon. This I find to be a greatconvenience, as it enables the adj usting of all the levers J verticallyat the same time and also the positioning of them all upon their supportbefore the latter is put into the piano. This cross-bar I illustrate atG, the blocks j being secured to it. In order that the bar G may becorrectly positioned to bring the levers J to their proper plane, afilling-piece g is preferably inserted between bars G and bar G, thisfilling-piece being of the proper vertical dimensions to insure theresult stated. Screwst may be passed through the bar G and thefilling-piece into the lower bar and secure them all rigidly together.0rd P, by which all the lovers J are held inoperative, is acted upon byaspring q, so thatits action when pressing upon the lovers J may be morecertain. This spring has suflicient elasticity to permit the necessarychanges in position by the rod P.

I claim 1. The combination, in a piano-action, of

The

the levers J with supports for said levers,

consisting of bar G and a separate bar G, to which the levers aresecured and which is itself supported upon said bar G, substantially asspecified.

2. The combination, with the series of levers J and theirsupporting-blocks j, of bars G and G and a filling-piece insertedbetween said bars, substantially as specified.

3. The combination, with the levers J, of the locking-rod P and thespring acting upon said rod, substantially as specified.

JAMES H. PHELPS.

Witnesses:

GEORGE O. MANSFIELD, J 0s. M. YATES.

